BALIF Board 2007-2008

Kara Korbel Chinula
University San Francisco Law School

Law Student Rep
Kara attends the part-time evening law school program at the University of San Francisco. During the day, she works for city government in the East Bay in the affordable housing industry. Escaping the cold winters of Minnesota, Kara relocated to Oakland, CA in 1994 after finding her biological mother. Kara loves the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Bay Area and has been actively involved in the fight for Marriage Equality on behalf of same-sex couples.

During her 2007 summer break, Kara will be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya for a 7 week study aboard program at the University of Nairobi. Furthermore, Kara will complete her international trip by meeting her biological father’s family who reside in the country of Malawi, Africa. Kara is passionate about movies and in previous years has written movie reviews for the “Eastbay Voice”. When time permits, Kara also enjoys playing Warcraft, Country-Western dancing, spa treatments and hanging out with her friends.

Michael Cole
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP

Membership Outreach
Michael is a new member of BALiF, having just joined this past year. A 2003 graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, Michael spent two years back East before making the big plunge and moving out West. As an associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP, Michael's practice is focused on labor and employment litigation. As a new transplant to San Francisco, Michael enjoys spending his free time exploring the city and all it has to offer and is excited to have finally said goodbye to long snowy winters and hot humid summers.

Dan Dean
Taylor Gutierrez Marca LLP

Treasurer
This is Dan’s third year on the BALIF board. He is a fourth generation San Franciscan and a 1992 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is a personal injury attorney at Taylor Gutierrez Marca LLP. He lives in Glen Park with his partner, Stephan. When not balancing BALIF's budget, Dan co-chairs the Minority Bar Coalition and sits on the board of USF Law School.

Ron Flynn
San Francisco City Attorney's Office

Co-Chair
Ron has been a member of the Board since 2004, is BALiF's representative to the National Lesbian Gay Lawyer's Association, and is Co-Chair of the BALiF Board. Before becoming a lawyer, Ron was a high school teacher in Massachusetts. Ron grew up in the Bay Area and currently lives in Potrero Hill with his partner of 18 years. Ron’s passion for professional tennis is unfortunately not matched by an aptitude for or effort in the sport.

Shay Gilmore
Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP

Social
Shay Aaron Gilmore joined the BALIF Board in 2007. He is an associate at Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP in San Francisco, and he is active in the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation, one of the country’s oldest LGBT tennis organizations. Shay currently serves on the Bar Association of San Francisco’s LGBT Task Force working with other LGBT lawyers in the City on best practices for legal organizations and LGBT employees.

As Social Chair, Shay is the “go to” guy for BALIF’s monthly First Thursday Happy Hours, Pride Brunch, Summer Barbeque and Holiday Party. In his spare time, Shay enjoys running and hiking around San Francisco, going to the movies and examining the rationales for establishmentarianism.

John T. Hendricks
Lafayette & Kumagai LLP

Membership Outreach
John returned to the BALiF Board of Directors in 2006 after previously serving in 2003-2004. He is a litigation associate with Lafayette & Kumagai LLP, a San Francisco minority-owned law firm with a proven track record successfully representing Fortune 500 companies in complex litigation. John's practice focuses on labor and employment matters. He graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

As social chairperson, John is the "go to" guy for BALiF's monthly First Thursday Happy Hours, Pride Brunch, Summer Barbeque and Holiday Party. Therefore, as a connoisseur of such things, he'll see Kelly's margarita and raise her a mai tai!

Nicholas Hua
Jackson Lewis, LLP

Young Lawyer and Law Student Programs
Nick Hua is a new member of Board. As a fourth year associate at Jackson Lewis, LLP, Nick represents employers in federal courts, state courts, before the EEOC and DFEH in discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, breach of employment contract, and wage and hour cases. In addition to his litigation practice, Nick also provides advice to management in ways to avoid litigation. Nick previously was a litigation associate in a leading national firm, practicing employment law, insurance defense and general commercial litigation.

Prior to law firm life, Nick clerked in the chambers of the Honorable Gregory Alarcon and Alexander H. Williams, III in the Los Angeles Superior Court, and learned law and motion as a judicial extern from the Honorable Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.

Nick lives in Russian Hill with his partner who is an aspiring writer. Nick is learning to rediscover the joys of jogging in Golden Gate Park and other idyllic places, as well as taking up tennis again.

Nancy Lawlor
Ridgell & Lawlor LLP

Continuing Legal Education
This is Nancy's first year on the BALIF board. Nancy worked as an associate for a small real property, probate and family law litigation firm in San Francisco. She enjoyed it so much she decided to start her own firm now located in Oakland. Prior to BALIF, Nancy served for four years on the LGBT Advisory Committee to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. In her spare time, she practices and teaches a rare Indonesian martial art known as Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen.

Natalie Leonard
Morrison & Foerster LLP

Annual Dinner
Natalie Leonard is a new member of the BALIF Board who will chair the annual dinner in 2008. She has been involved in the mentor program at BALIF since 2002. Natalie is an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP specializing in employment law and privacy law. She is a contributing author on a privacy treatise to be published by West this summer.

Natalie is originally from New Jersey, where she attended Princeton University. She has an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School and she graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2004. Natalie clerked for a senior district judge in federal court in Alabama before she joined Morrison & Foerster.

Natalie lives in the Duboce Triangle, but is preparing to move to a co-operative community in Berkeley this summer. Natalie enjoys live theatre, vegetable and herb gardening, and working with kids in undeserved communities to help prepare them for college.

Kelly McCown
McCown & Evans, LLP

Conference of Delegates
Kelly has been a member of the BALiF Board since 2003 and Co-Chair since 2005. She has a corporate immigration law practice, focusing on employment-based visas and green cards, with a particular specialty in LGBT immigration issues. She lives in the "lavender hills" of Oakland with her partner Barbara, their two dogs Katie and Leila, and an undisclosed number of cats. Kelly enjoys hiking, trail running, cycling, and international travel. Kelly also makes a mean margarita.

Sally Morin
Law Offices of James M. Millar

Secretary
Sally is new to the BALiF Board this year. She has chosen to use her networking skills to assist BALiF in increasing its membership and reaching out to more people in the Bay Area LGBT legal community. Sally is a trial attorney specializing in Landlord-Tenant and Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Litigation. During her free time, you can find Sally out surfing in Pacifica, running in Golden Gate Park or enjoying time with her partner, Meghan, and their 11lb Miniature Pincer rescue dog “Terra” at Chrissy Field.

Communications
Liz Noteware joined the BALIF Board in 2006. Prior to working at the
Ninth Circuit, she worked in for the Social Security Administration, at the National Housing Law Project, and as a law clerk to a federal magistrate judge in Boston. In her spare time, Liz runs half marathons, plays in the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League and takes Spanish and tap dancing at City College. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Northeastern University School of Law.

Rebecca Prozan
San Francisco District Attorney's Office

Co-Chair
This is Rebecca's second time on the BALiF Board and first term as Secretary. She also served as BALiF's law student representative from Golden Gate University. Last year, she led BALiF's delegation to the Conference of Delegates.

Before becoming an Assistant District Attorney, Rebecca worked for Mayor Willie Brown for five years, including two years as the Mayor's LGBT Liaison. She served as Supervisor Bevan Dufty's legislative aide, and managed Kamala Harris's campaign for District Attorney. She has served on several boards and commissions, including the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC), the City's Recreation and Parks Commission, and the Elections Redistricting Task Force. Currently, Rebecca co-chairs the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club with BALiF Co-Chair alum Scott Weiner.

In her spare time, Rebecca is an avid movie goer.

Cheryl Sena
Cullum & Sena

Judiciary
Cheryl Sena is a Family law Specialist, Certified by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She assists her clients in dissolving their registered domestic partnerships, non registered partnership relationships and marriages, including child custody, child and spousal/partner support and property issues. In addition to litigation, she also provides mediation and private judging services.

Ms. Sena is a regular speaker on domestic partnership issues. She is a member of the San Francisco Collaborative Law Group and active in formulating other alternative dispute resolution services for LGBT clients. She has been practicing law for over 20 years. In addition to her legal expertise, she is an avid dancer, photographer and world traveler.

Ms. Sena graduated from Richmond College (CUNY) in 1974 and Hastings College of Law in 1984. In between undergraduate and graduate school, she lived in a commune and worked at Cornell University in the communication arts department.

Cameron Cloar
University San Francisco Law School

Law Student Rep
Cameron is a new member to BALiF and just recently finished his first year at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Before attending law school Cameron was an airline pilot for a regional airline based out of Phoenix, AZ. During that time Cameron represented the pilots on the west coast and Hawaii as a voting member of the Air Line Pilots Association. Cameron looks forward to working with the BALiF Board and the many law students throughout the Bay Area.